Global Snapshot: Europcar Mexico Celebrates 10th Anniversary

With only 30 cars, Europcar Mexico started as a franchise of Europcar International in 2003. Ten years later, the company has grown to over 50 cities throughout Mexico in both tourist locations (Cancun, Los Cabos, Acapulco) and commercial cities such as Mexico City, Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez.

Omar Garcia, director of sales for Europcar Mexico, talks about how the company has grown in the last 10 years and how it caters to both domestic and international customers.

What's your total fleet size?

2,500 vehicles

How many locations do you have and in what types of areas?

We have 90 stations around the country, including all international airports and major cities.

How did the business start?

Europcar Mexico started operations in Mexico with one single station in Cancun and 30 vehicles of total fleet.

What are your primary sources of rental customers?

The primary sources of business are the domestic market followed by the U.S. customers and customers coming from Europe.

Gerardo Robles is the director of operations in Northeast Mexico for Europcar Mexico.

Are you an affiliate of any kind?

We are proud to be a recognized franchisee of Europcar International, a top rental car brand in Europe.

Are you pursuing new sources of business/customers?

We are in the process of pursuing new emerging markets like Brazil and Russia who are starting to travel to Mexico.

How has the car rental market in your area evolved in the past 10 years?

We would describe growth as slow but consistent with a huge margin to grow — if we compare the total rental car fleet that we have versus other countries like Brazil.

Describe your specific marketing efforts and what the payback has been so far?

As of 2008, 80% of our marketing is focused on Internet advertising, such as SEO and SEM campaigns that allow us to get better knowledge of our marketing efforts.

How do you buy cars?

We bought cars directly with car manufacturers. As of today, the rental car market in Mexico is taking advantage of the variety of vehicles that are being developed here in Mexico.

How do you sell your cars?

We sell our cars to different car dealers and agencies from different brands in the country.

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